Bill Text: IL SR0465 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Declares May 31, 2019 as South Asian American Health Awareness Day and recognizes that the South Asian American community is at high risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-31 - Resolution Adopted [SR0465 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SR0465-Introduced.html

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SR0465 LRB101 12691 ALS 61363 r
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Heart disease is the leading cause of death for
both men and women; according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, one in every four deaths each year is
due to heart disease; and
WHEREAS, Risk factors for heart disease include diabetes,
high blood pressure, excess body fat, high LDL cholesterol, and
smoking; and
WHEREAS, According to National Vital Statistics Data,
South Asian American communities in the United States have four
times the risk of heart disease than the general population and
a much greater chance of having a heart attack before age 50;
and
WHEREAS, In addition, diabetes is one of the most serious
driving forces for heart disease; South Asian Americans in the
United States have among the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes
in the nation; and
WHEREAS, The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians
Living in America (MASALA) multi-ethnic study showed a 26
percent prevalence of diabetes among South Asian Americans,
compared to six percent among Caucasians, 18 percent among

SR0465 - 2 - LRB101 12691 ALS 61363 r
African Americans, 17 percent among Latinos, and 13 percent
among Chinese -Americans; and
WHEREAS, In spite of a diet consisting of lentils,
vegetables, grains, and spices, the suboptimal nutritional
elements of refined carbohydrates, refined fats, salt, and
sugar negate any nutritional advantage gained through a
traditional South Asian diet; and
WHEREAS, Early intervention and treatment through
awareness campaigns, nutritional education, and instruction on
physical activity can greatly reduce the burden of diabetes,
the risk of heart disease, decreased quality of life, and
untimely death; and
WHEREAS, Successful efforts to prevent and combat heart
disease in the South Asian American population of the United
States can serve as a model for the general population;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in an effort to reduce
the high risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke
for the South Asian American community in our State, we declare
May 31, 2019 as South Asian American Health Awareness Day.